After fleeing the famine, my older sister and I married the brother next door.

Chen Xiaohe chimed in, counting on his fingers, "We also need to add some livestock. We'll buy twenty more chickens and ducks, a mix of males and females. Eggs and duck eggs sell well at the shop, we can't afford to run out. This year we have an old sow, so we don't need to buy piglets anymore; that alone will save us a lot of money." He paused, glanced at his father, and said hesitantly, "Dad, there's one more thing. Should we get a breeding cow for our cow? We've had her for several years, but she hasn't conceived a calf yet, it's a real shame."

Mr. Chen thought for a moment, then tapped his pipe on the edge of the table: "After the spring planting, I'll ask the cowherd. Breeding can't be rushed; we need to find good breeding cows so the calves will be strong. We'll talk about it later."

Su Xiaoyin, who was listening nearby, chimed in, her tone unhurried but clear: "Dad, our yard and the vegetable fields on the mountain need to be prepared in advance. The soil needs to be turned over, and fertilizer needs to be applied. We can't wait until spring planting to be scrambling around. Also, we have some vegetable seeds left over from last year, but it's not enough, so we need to buy a new batch. These are all important sources of income for the grocery store next year. Seasonal vegetables sell well in the store; city people crave freshness, so we can't cut off the supply."

She glanced at Su Xiaoqing. The two sisters had already discussed it and now said it together: "Also, Xiaoqing and I are planning to start a new embroidery project in a couple of days. After we sent out the 'Five Blessings Surrounding Longevity' embroidery before the New Year, Manager Liu asked again, saying that there might be more work after the New Year. We can't wait until the last minute to start. We need to prepare the embroidery in advance."

Mr. Chen nodded and asked, "What are your thoughts on the grocery store? Right now, the store sells food every day: braised meats, roast duck, pastries, tofu, bean sprouts, seasonal vegetables, and occasionally fish. There's a good selection, but I was thinking, could we add one or two new items?"

Chen Dashan thought for a moment and then shared his idea: "Dad, we can stock up on soybean oil and rapeseed oil and sell them at the shop. Aunt Wang from the next alley often comes to ask if we have any oil to sell, saying that it's far to the grain and oil shop and inconvenient to carry it. If we stock up on it, it will be convenient for the neighbors and also a reliable source of income."

Chen Xiaohe perked up, raising his voice: "Dad, and my older brother, I've thought of someone else. I used to know an old man at the market who sold pottery. He made his own little things, like cats, dogs, and rabbits, all so cute and adorable. They weren't worth much, but they were just so appealing. I'm thinking of buying some to sell in my shop, displaying them in front of the counter. The kids would be glued to them, and I could sell a little something else along the way. It wouldn't take up much space, and the cost would be low."

After listening to his two sons, Mr. Chen's face showed satisfaction. He put his pipe aside and leaned back in his chair: "Alright, do it your way. Once you've thought it through, just do it. Don't be afraid to try. Our shop isn't afraid of having too much stock, it's afraid of not having high-quality stock. Dashan will be in charge of the oil, and Xiaohe will be in charge of the pottery. Get it all done before spring."

Chen's mother hadn't said much, sitting to the side sewing shoe soles. Now she looked up, rubbed the needle in her hair, and said calmly but firmly, "Then next year I'll continue setting up my stall in the county town, and I'll also take Shitou and the others to school. The school dates are set, so the pick-up and drop-off can't be delayed. At the stall, I'll sell small items—hair ties, silk flowers, tiger-head shoes—all made by you two sisters. They don't take up much space or get you tired. Once the children are older and can go to school by themselves, I'll sell more other things."

Since moving to the county town to accompany her child's studies, Chen's mother had long been accustomed to this rhythm—dropping the child off in the morning, setting up her stall during the day, picking the child up in the afternoon, and doing needlework in the evening. Although life was mundane, it was much easier than farming in the village. She didn't say it, but she was actually quite satisfied.

Stone, who was listening to the adults talking, suddenly looked up and asked seriously, "Grandpa, will we still be going to school next year?"

Father Chen smiled and patted his head: "Go. You not only have to go to school, but you also have to study hard. If you pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, Grandpa will buy you big horses to ride."

Aji and Afu joined in the commotion: "I want to ride a big horse!" "Me too!" Qingqing covered her mouth and laughed, saying, "You're more like riding the wooden horse at the New Year's market." The children made a ruckus, and Chen's mother laughed and scolded, "Stop arguing!" She also laughed along.

Mr. Chen looked at the people in the room and a smile curved his lips. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the first day of the year, the family sat together to make arrangements for everything in the coming year.

----

The second day of the Lunar New Year is traditionally the day when married daughters return to their parents' home. However, there was no one left at Chen's mother's parents' home. Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing had come here to escape famine, and their parents had long since passed away. So, this day was no different from any other day, except that the food in the kitchen was more plentiful than usual.

Breakfast was glutinous rice balls cooked by Chen's mother, filled with sesame. When you bit into them, the shiny black filling would ooze out, and the children would blow on them, afraid to take big bites. After breakfast, Chen's father took Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe out to pay New Year's visits—there were a few families in the county town they needed to visit, including Steward Liu, Shopkeeper Sun, and several old neighbors next to the general store.

Taking advantage of this rare moment of leisure, Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing sat by the window of the east wing room to discuss the new embroidery design.

Sunlight streamed through the window paper, illuminating the embroidered cloth spread on the kang (heated brick bed). Su Xiaoqing pulled out the embroidery patterns she had saved up before the New Year, spreading them out on the bed one by one. She had drawn several versions of some of them, but was not satisfied with any of them. She crumpled them up and threw them into the basket, but Su Xiaoyin picked them up, flattened them, and set them aside for later use.

"Sister, let's embroider a 'Phoenixes in Harmony' design." Su Xiaoqing pulled out a sheet of paper from a stack of drawings and unfolded it. On the paper was a pair of phoenixes, one with its wings spread and head held high, the other with its head bowed and looking back, their postures elegant, their long tail feathers trailing behind them, entwined with lotus flowers and auspicious clouds. Although the lines were still just outlines drawn with charcoal, they already had a touch of graceful movement.

Su Xiaoyin picked up the drawing and leaned close to the window to examine it closely. Her eyes lit up. "This is good. The phoenixes singing in harmony symbolize a happy marriage and are most often used in weddings. They're indispensable in a bride's dowry—for curtains, pillowcases, and bedspreads." She traced the outline of the phoenixes with her finger and nodded. "Two phoenixes dancing together, paired with lotus scrolls, and outlined with gold thread. This embroidered piece will be even more festive than the previous one, 'Five Blessings Surrounding Longevity.'"

Having gained her sister's approval, Su Xiaoqing smiled, her eyes crinkling. She put the blueprints away, laid them out on a clean wooden board, and prepared to trace the final design. "Then I'll draw the embroidery pattern. You make more silk flowers and more tassels. The shop's stock from before the New Year is almost sold out, so we need to restock. Also, I've made several baby clothes. The material is fine cotton, which is comfortable for the child. Mother said to take them to the stall to try them on."